Upright Keywords:
Introspective, Subconscious, Reflective, Unconscious, Empathy, Emotions, Intuition
Reversed Keywords:
Emotionally empty, Emotionally exhausted, Need to slow down, Not emotionally healthy, Worn out, Emotional immaturity, Insecure
Cups are involved with love and human relationships. This does not always mean romantic relationships, so please keep that in mind. This could be a professional relationship, a platonic relationship, or even a relationship with yourself. The relationship in question will be revealed by the cards around the Cups card pulled and the question you asked the cards.
Cups are associated with the element of water and therefore the three zodiac water signs in the astrological calendar. Those are Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. The water sign associated with the Queen of Cups particularly is Cancer. Does your question involve someone whose sun sign is Cancer? What about a Pisces or a Scorpio?
Building off of the zodiac concept in the above section, it’s important to note that each court card (Kings, Queens, Knights, and Pages) represent not one but two different zodiac signs. The Queen of Cups is strongly associated with water because it is in the suit of Cups, but it is also associated with the element of air. This aligns the Queen of Cups with the three air signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, particularly Gemini.
So now you must consider if a Cancer and/or a Gemini is involved in your question.
Queens overall are motherly figures in the Tarot. They are not necessarily women but have strong feminine energy and feminine strength. They are strongly associated with the element they represent, in this case, water. This makes them conduits for the element. When you pull a Queen in a reading, you are being challenged to channel the energy of their element into your life.
Upright Meaning
If you pull the Queen of Cups upright, this is a very positive reflection of your emotional state. You are intuitive, you are on point. You can read emotions clearly and you feel things appropriately, but you are not controlled by or overwhelmed by your emotions or the emotions of others.
If you don’t feel that’s true, it is time for you to do some self-reflection and step into this role. Trust yourself, your intuition is strong and on point.
You are a good person to go for for advice in any matter. This is a great card but can become a tough position to be in. Be careful not to take on too much. Being so in touch with emotions easily leads to being an empathetic sponge and can bring you down, which brings us to the Queen of Cups reversed.
If you pull this card reversed, you are bogged down by emotions. You are running yourself ragged and it’s blocking your intuition. You may feel like you’re on point but trust me, you are not.
The Queen of Cups reversed is telling you to slow down. You’re no good to anyone, especially yourself right now. It’s time to exercise some self-care to the max. The self-care you need is self-reflection though. Time to meditate, time to reset from the inside.
This card could also be a sign that your heart and head are out of balance. Usually, it indicates that you are ruling with your emotions more than your logic.
Finally, this card could be telling you that you are burying your emotions for one reason or another. Do you not feel comfortable fully expressing yourself? Is there an issue with your partner, your family, your coworkers? Have you quieted your true feelings so as not to ‘rock the boat’? If so, the Queen of Cups appearing is indicating that it’s time to speak up. Burying feelings is not healthy and it will bleed into the rest of your life. This could lead to depression, be careful!
Reversed Meaning
In a general context, the Knight of Cups reversed Tarot card can represent revoked offers or proposals, bad news and withdrawn invitations. The news this Minor Arcana brings usually brings with it heartbreak, sorrow or disappointment. The Knight of Cups reversed Tarot card can be telling you not to jump to conclusions or to check your facts before taking action. The reversed Knight of Cups can also signify moodiness, tantrums and emotional turmoil so expect stressful situations when he appears. The Knight of Cups reversed can also indicate that you may be procrastinating or avoiding taking action rather than confronting a situation head on. If representing a person, the Knight of Cups reversed can indicate that an adult (usually 20-35 year of age and usually male) who at first appears to be charming and trustworthy may turn out to be any of the following: disloyal, passive aggressive, commitment-phobic, a drifter, a manipulator, a cheater or a heartbreaker. He may be a water sign such as Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces.